The rumor that the head butler had made a wager with the lord quickly spread.
Those who heard the full story shook their heads and clicked their tongues.
"Such a shame; the lord's overextended himself."
"That head butler has quite a temper. Even if it's the lord, he should've at least pretended to let him win. Now, the lord's aides are itching to get back at him."
"But since the lord ordered them not to touch him, they can't. If anything happens to the head butler, it'll only damage the lord's reputation even more. And then, who would trust and work under the lord?"
Just as people said, Belinda could not bring herself to lay a hand on Claude. Instead, she spent the whole day taking her frustration out on a pillow.
"Ugh! Why did the young master make that kind of bet? He doesn't know a thing about farming! When will he finally fix that stubborn streak?"
As Claude had pointed out, it was a problem that no one had been able to solve for hundreds of years.
There was no way Ghislain, who knew nothing about it, could succeed.
Maybe he could get a mage or priest to temporarily boost the land's fertility, but that wouldn't last long.
It would be cheaper to use that money to buy food.
"Aargh! It's infuriating! And that gambling scoundrel, too! He should've backed down when the lord went off the rails! Instead, he just took him up on it? And to top it off, he's even asked for protection! What a little weasel!"
Belinda smacked the innocent pillow with all her might.
Since the head maid was gritting her teeth at the head butler, the atmosphere in the castle grew tense.
Vanessa nervously watched the situation unfold, deep in thought.
'The lord has to win this. Maybe I should use magic to boost the land's fertility? But it's too big an area for me to manage alone… and maintaining it would drain my mana. I don't have much mana… and no Rune Stones…'
With Vanessa's limited mana, she wouldn't be able to sustain even a tiny patch of field, let alone the entire plot Ghislain was planning to cultivate.
'Maybe I could drain the mana from Alpoi and the other mages?'
She briefly considered ambushing them while they were asleep, but she knew she couldn't overpower them alone.
'I'm sorry, my lord. I'm just… useless…'
Vanessa grew more anxious by the day, worrying herself thin, to the concern of those around her.
On the other hand, Kaor's face grew shinier each day, as he spent his time drinking with the Cerberus mercenaries, taking advantage of Belinda's self-imposed seclusion.
"Heh, it'll be fun if the lord loses… and even more fun if the head butler does. Not that there's any chance of that."
"Yeah, can you imagine the look on that monster of a lord's face if he actually lost?"
One of the mercenaries laughed, and Kaor sneered.
"This time, the lord made a mistake. It's a bet he's bound to lose. I knew his stubbornness would get him into trouble one day."
Ghislain had always taken on challenges that everyone deemed impossible or foolish.
And every time, he succeeded.
With his sharp instincts and immense power, he'd forced impossible things to happen.
Over time, people around him had learned to just go along with whatever he proposed. But this time, they couldn't.
"This time, it's not a matter of strength but of specialized knowledge."
Laughing with his comrades, Kaor's expression suddenly turned serious.
In the distance, Gillian was approaching.
"Aw, the old grump's here. Alright, everyone, scatter! Move it!"
Since Ghislain had made the wager with Claude, Gillian had been walking around with a permanent scowl.
He believed that Claude had intentionally brought up the casino idea to provoke Ghislain.
Given Gillian's foul mood, getting caught with a drinking party would guarantee a lecture.
Kaor and the mercenaries quickly cleared their surroundings and sneaked off, eyeing Gillian carefully as they retreated.
***
As tension mounted in the castle, Claude threw himself into his work with enthusiasm.
Strangely enough, he felt energized, even without sleep.
"Hehehe, I'm almost free."
The work was still endless, but knowing he only had to endure for three months made it much more manageable.
There's a big difference between work that has no end in sight and work with a clear finish line.
"Might as well finish everything neatly before I go. Don't want to leave anything that could be used against me."
And no, it definitely wasn't because Wendy, spinning her dagger behind him, terrified him.
"You're not planning to stab me from behind or poison my food, right?"
Wendy quickly sheathed her dagger, flustered by the sudden question.
"I wouldn't do that."
"If I die, the lord would be disgraced. You know that, right?"
"…I'm aware."
"Good, so keep a close eye on me. I think there are people watching me lately."
After giving Wendy the same warning for the twenty-third time, Claude began his work with a satisfied look.
It didn't take long for him to ask the same question for the twenty-fourth time, prompting Wendy to draw her dagger once more.
Ghislain reviewed the work Claude had completed and summoned the mercenaries. Finding the mountain villagers and bringing them down was something he could do faster himself.
"Gillian, coordinate with neighboring estates to locate any villagers who fled. Kaor, search the northern areas. Find every hidden mountain villager and bring them back. I'll head south."
With Claude rummaging around, the villagers were already uneasy.
Seeing armed soldiers searching every nook and cranny made them think something terrible was about to happen.
Now they heard the lord himself was leading soldiers to capture them.
The villagers trembled in fear. Ghislain's popularity plummeted, with people spreading rumors that he was even harsher and scarier than the previous lord.
The administrators, worried, suggested he proceed slowly, but Ghislain didn't even blink.
"It doesn't matter. We don't have the luxury of time. Even if it's forceful, proceed as quickly as possible."
Ghislain quickly found the mountain villagers who had been hiding in the forest.
Naturally, they didn't come along willingly.
"My lord, please let us stay here. Or at least give us a few days to gather our things."
"We'll pay the taxes somehow, I swear."
"If we go back, there's no land for us. No food to survive."
Despite their pleas, Ghislain shook his head coldly.
If he gave them time, they would likely flee again to another hiding place.
"Don't worry; I'll provide food and jobs. We're leaving immediately."
The taxes he could gather here were negligible.
He needed more hands for labor, not a few coins.
Seeing Ghislain's resolute stance, the mountain villagers exchanged uneasy glances.
Their attempts to buy time had failed. It was clear the lord was determined.
With only about ten soldiers accompanying him, he seemed easy to resist.
One middle-aged man picked up a club and yelled.
"Screw it! If we go back, they'll just bleed us dry again!"
"I'm not that kind of person. I'm one of the kindest, most peaceful people in the world. Everyone around me says there's no one as nonviolent and peace-loving as I am."
If anyone else heard that, they'd probably tilt their heads in confusion.
Even the mercenaries with him looked puzzled as if they'd misheard.
Of course, the mountain villagers didn't believe him.
"We're not going! Just leave us alone!"
A few enraged villagers began to rally the others.
"Let's fight, everyone! Going back is a living hell!"
"Yeah! Give us freedom!"
"We'll just live here, on our own!"
Despite the villagers' uproar, Ghislain chuckled.
He wasn't one to waste words. He'd never tried to convince anyone with talk.
He gave a small nod to the mercenaries.
"Just arrest them all."
The mercenaries, unsurprised, lunged at the villagers.
"I knew it! What kind of nonviolent peace-lover is he?!"
"Grab your weapons, everyone!"
"Waaah! We won't be exploited anymore!"
The villagers fought back ferociously.
They hadn't fled to the mountains just to submit to another round of oppressive rule.
"Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Determined to either kill their captors or die trying, the villagers fought fiercely.
Being twice as numerous as the mercenaries, they thought they stood a fair chance.
However, their hopes were quickly shattered.
"Aagh!"
The mercenaries knocked down the villagers with casual swings, and they fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
"Ugh…"
A mercenary, standing before the groaning villagers, turned to Ghislain.
"What should we do with them?"
Attacking a lord usually warranted a death sentence.
But knowing why Ghislain had come, the mercenaries didn't act on their own.
Ghislain slowly looked around.
Nearby, women, children, and the elderly—presumably family members of the fallen men—sat trembling in fear.
"This makes me look like a tyrant, doesn't it?"
Ghislain chuckled as he gestured to the people.
"I'm not going to kill anyone, so don't be afraid. I'm a nonviolent peace-lover, remember? Just gather your essentials; we're heading to the estate."
The mountain villagers, having lost their will to resist, began to gather their belongings reluctantly.
Once they were ready, Ghislain gave the mercenaries a new order.
"Destroy all the houses. Criminals or spies could hide here."
The mercenaries immediately picked up axes and got to work.
The shacks the villagers had hastily built crumbled under the forceful strikes.
Watching their homes collapse, the villagers' faces darkened.
They realized they'd never be able to return.
Seeing a young child on the verge of tears, Ghislain spoke kindly.
"Don't worry. There's no one as kind and gentle as me. Look, I didn't kill anyone, even when you fought back."
But his words had no effect.
To the child, Ghislain was nothing but a wicked lord, who had beaten his father, torn down their home, and was forcibly taking them away.
The child could only grit his teeth, eyes red with unshed tears.
Ghislain, noticing the look, shrugged.
Trying to explain things to people filled with distrust was pointless. He'd have to show them directly.
"All right, let's go. It's cold out here at night."
Satisfied, Ghislain turned back, having destroyed yet another village.
Those who had fought back were bound like fish on a line and dragged along.
Their families followed behind, heads hung in despair.
As they descended from the mountains, the villagers sniffled, fearing for their future.
If they'd known it would end like this, they'd have fled further.
They never expected to be tracked down so relentlessly in these rough, deep mountains.
"We managed to round up quite a few today. Who'd have thought over forty people would be gathered up here?"
As Ghislain, pleased with his success, looked over his captives, the villagers could only grit their teeth in helpless frustration.
A short while later, they arrived back at the castle. Ghislain whistled at the sight before him.
"Oh, looks like quite a crowd now."
The mountain villagers were startled.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]